Early action urged ahead of roof rat season
Jan 28, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — Roof rats are beginning to scurry around looking for excess citrus and homeowners need to be proactive if they don’t want the rats moving in, a city official said.
“Roof rats are a big problem everywhere when nobody does anything about them,” said Barry Pacely, Founder/Director of the Arcadia Citrus Program.
If they get inside your house, the problem could be more like a nightmare.
“We’ve gotten call from ladies that first thing in the morning they’d found a roof rat doing laps in their commode,” said Pacely.
Pacely said there are a few things homeowners can do to keep the rats out of homes, including sealing the house, putting out traps and, since these are communal creatures, to work with neighbors to keep them at bay. Additionally, Pacely encouraged homeowners to manicure their property; thin everything out and clear out the citrus.
The Arcadia Citrus Program will be hosting collection events every Saturday until March 23. For more information, call (602) 273-0435 or visit roofrat.net.
